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Kodeeswarar Temple
Kodeeswarar Temple ( கொட்டையூர் கோடீஸ்வரர் கோயில்) :ta:கொட்டையூர் கோடீஸ்வரர் கோயில் is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, located in Kottaiyur, a village on the western outskirts of Kumbakonam, in Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, India. Shiva is worshipped as Koteeswarar and His consort Parvathi as Pandhadu Nayaki. Lord Koteeswarar is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical and greatest work, Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the Nayanmars and classified as ''Paadal Petra Sthalam'', the 275 temples revered in the canon. The temple has a five-tiered ''Raja Gopuram'', the entrance tower and all the shrines are enclosed in rectangular walls. The temple has four daily rituals at various times from 6:00 a.m. to 8 p.m., and three yearly festivals on its calendar, namely Margaḻi Tiruvathirai during the Tamil month of ''Margaḻi'' (December–January) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India by population, sixth largest by population, Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, who speak the Tamil language—the state's official language and one of the longest surviving Classical languages of India, classical languages of the world. The capital and largest city is Chennai. Located on the south-eastern coast of the Indian peninsula, Tamil Nadu is straddled by the Western Ghats and Deccan Plateau in the west, the Eastern Ghats in the north, the Eastern Coastal Plains lining the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait to the south-east, the Laccadive Sea at the southern Cape (geography), cape of the peninsula, with the river Kaveri bisecting the state. Politically, Tamil Nadu is bound by the Indian sta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Navagraha
The navagraha are nine heavenly bodies and deities that influence human life on Earth according to Hinduism and Hindu mythology. The term is derived from ''nava'' ( "nine") and ''graha'' ( "planet, seizing, laying hold of, holding"). The nine parts of the navagraha are the Sun, Moon, planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, and the lunar node, two nodes of the Moon. The term ''planet'' was applied originally only to the five planets known (i.e., visible to the naked eye) and excluded the Earth. The term was later generalized, particularly during the Post-classical history, Middle Ages, to include the sun and the moon (sometimes referred to as "lights"), making a total of seven planets. The Seven days of the week#Hindu tradition, seven days of the week of the Hindu calendar also corresponds with the seven classical planets and European culture also following same patron and are Names of the days of the week#Hindu tradition, named accordingly in most languages of the India ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chandeshvara Nayanar
Chandesha or Canda or Chandikeshwara is one of the 63 Nayanars. Processional bronze images of him generally show him as a boy, with entwined locks of hair, standing with his hands in Añjali Mudrā and with an axe in the crook of his arm. In the Shaiva temples of South India, his shrine is positioned within the first enclosure wall of the temple complex and to the North East of the lingam. He is there typically shown seated, with one leg dangling downwards, a hand on one thigh and an axe clasped in the other. He faces inwards towards the main temple wall. He is depicted as deeply lost in meditation, and devotees snap their fingers or clap their hands to attract his attention. Another explanation, since he is considered to be the guardian of the temple belongings, is that devotees clap their hands to show that they are leaving the temple empty-handed. It is also customary to leave even the sacred ash inside the temple itself. His original role was probably that of recipient of ''ni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Durga
Durga (, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around combating evils and demonic forces that threaten peace, prosperity, and dharma, representing the power of good over evil. Durga is believed to unleash her divine wrath against the wicked for the liberation of the oppressed, and entails destruction to empower creation. Durga is seen as a motherly figure and often depicted as a beautiful woman, riding a lion or tiger, with many arms each carrying a weapon and often defeating demons. She is widely worshipped by the followers of the goddess-centric sect, Shaktism, and has importance in other denominations like Shaivism and Vaishnavism. The most important texts of Shaktism, Devi Mahatmya and Devi Bhagavata Purana, revere Devi (the Goddess) as the primordial creator of the universe and the Brahman (ultimate truth and reali ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dakshinamurthy
Dakshinamurti () is an aspect of the Hindu god Shiva as a guru (teacher). He is regarded to be the personification of the supreme or the ultimate awareness, understanding, and knowledge. Dakshinamurti represents Shiva as a teacher of yoga, music, and wisdom, offering an exposition of the ''Shastras''. He is worshipped as the god of wisdom and meditation. Meaning Dakshinamurti literally means 'one who is facing south ()' in Sanskrit. According to another school of thought 'Dakshinya' means Karuna in Sanskrit or kindness (benevolence). So this manifestation of Shiva is a benevolent teacher who accords wisdom to seekers of salvation. In most of the Shiva temples, the stone image of Dakshinamurti is installed, facing south, on the southern circumambulatory path around the sanctum sanctorum. Depiction In his aspect as Jnana Dakshinamurti, Shiva is generally shown with Chaturbhuja, four arms. He is depicted seated under a Banyan, banyan tree, facing the south. Shiva is seated ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nandi (bull)
Nandi (), also known as Nandikeshvara or Nandideva, is the bull ''vahana'' (mount) of the Hindu god Shiva. He is also the guardian deity of Kailash, the abode of Shiva. Almost all Shiva temples display stone images of a seated Nandi, generally facing the main shrine. Etymology The Sanskrit word ''nandi'' () means happy, joy, and satisfaction, the properties of divine guardian of Shiva-Nandi. The application of the name Nandi to the bull (Sanskrit: ''Vṛṣabha'') is a development of recent syncretism of different regional beliefs within Shaivism. The name Nandi was widely used instead for an anthropomorphic door-keeper of Kailash, rather than his mount in the oldest Shaivite texts in Sanskrit, Tamil, and other Indian languages. Siddhanta texts distinguish between Nandi and ''Vṛṣabha''. Legend Nandi is described as the son of the sage Shilada. Shilada underwent severe penance to have a boon– a child with immortality and blessings of Shiva, and received Nandi a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lingam
A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or Aniconism, aniconic representation of the Hinduism, Hindu Hindu deities, god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Upanishads and Indian epic poetry, epic literature, where it means a "mark, sign, emblem, characteristic", the "evidence, proof, symptom" of Shiva and Shiva's power. The lingam of the Shaivism tradition is a short cylindrical pillar-like symbol of Shiva, made of stone, metal, gem, wood, clay or precious stones. It is often represented within a disc-shaped platform, the ''yoni'' – its feminine counterpart, consisting of a flat element, horizontal compared to the vertical lingam, and designed to allow liquid offerings to drain away for collection. The ''lingam'' is an emblem of generative and destructive power. While rooted in representations of the male sexual organ, the ''lingam'' is regarded as the "outward symbol" of the "formless reali ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gopuram
A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Telugu: గోపురం, Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...: ಗೋಪುರ, Malayalam language, Malayalam: ഗോപുരം) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the Entrance Hall, entrance of a Hindu temple, in the Dravidian architecture, South Indian architecture of the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, and Telangana, and Sri Lanka. In other areas of India they are much more modest, while in Southern Indian temples they are very often by far the highest part of the temple. Ancient and early medieval temples feature smaller ''gopuram'', while in later temples they are a prominent feature of Hindu temple architecture, Hindu Tamil archi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prakaram
A prakaram (प्राकारः in Sanskrit), also spelled pragaram or pragaaram) in Indian architecture is an outer part around the Hindu temple sanctum. They may be enclosed or open and are typically enclosed for the innermost prakaram. As per Hindu religious practices, devotees start to come around the outer prakarams to the inner most before entering the sanctum. Most of the historic South Indian cities like Madurai, Srirangam, Sirkali, Thiruvarur and Chidambaram were built around large temples in the center of the city. The streets of the city act as extension of the prakarams of the temple. Ramanathaswamy Temple has outer set of corridors and is reputed to be the longest prakaram in the world. Temple architecture In the Hindu temple, the prakaram is the temple compound around the sanctum. Typically a Hindu temple prayer hall is generally built in front of the temple's sanctum sanctorum (garbhagriha). Usually large Hindu temples have one or more prakarams. The P ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
